Main text: SFR14/2015
A National Statistics publication
National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
Statistical First Release
Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015
Reference Sfr 14/2015
Date 21 May 2015
Coverage England
Theme Children, Education and Skills
Issued by Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT
Press office 020 7925 6789
Public enquiries 0370 000 2288
Statistician Bree Waine
Phone 01325 340824
Email SEN.Statistics@education.gsi.gov.uk
Internet Statistics: special educational needs (SEN)
4,205 The number of statutory Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans in place on 15 January 2015.
235,980 The number of statements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) in place on 15 January 2015.
1,360 The number of new EHC plans issued between 1 September 2014 and 31 December 2014.
25,780 The number of new statements of SEN issued between 1 January and 31 December 2014.
2,765 The number of EHC plans transferred from statements of SEN or Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs).
Sfr 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015
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1. Background and context
This statistical first release (Sfr) publishes data from the annual SEN2 data return, which is mandatory for local authorities to complete. The return is the only source of data to report on all statements of SEN and EHC plans maintained by individual local authorities.
About Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans
Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for children and young people aged up to 25 were introduced on 1 September 2014 as part of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provisions in the Children and Families Act 2014.
From 1 September 2014, any children or young people who are newly referred to a local authority for assessment are considered under the new EHC plan assessment process. The legal test of when a child or young person requires an EHC plan remains the same as that for a statement under the Education Act 1996. See the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 for more detailed information on the reforms.
Transferring children and young people with statements and young people receiving support as a result of a Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDAs) to EHC plans will be phased. Timescales are set out in Transition to the new 0 to 25 special educational needs and disability system: Departmental advice for local authorities and their partners (March 2015). Every local authority has published a Local Transition Plan setting out the timings for transfers to the new system.
In previous years, SEN2 data has been published as part of the Special Educational Needs in England Sfr which also includes data from the January school census. The January 2015 school census data is due to be published in a separate Sfr in July 2015.
The publication of SEN2 data was brought forward in 2015 because it is available sooner than school census data. Further details on the 2015 SEN2 collection can be found in the SEN2 return guide and the Methodology Document published alongside this Sfr.
2. Quality of the data
The 2015 SEN2 return includes data from the 2014 calendar year as well as at the January 2015 census date, meaning the data covers both the previous and new arrangements. The new features of the SEND system - EHC plans, mediation and personal budgets - came into effect from September 2014. It is important to realise that some new processes may take longer because they are unfamiliar.
The timeline for the transition of statements and LDAs to EHC plans will differ by local authority. This should be taken into consideration when comparing across local authorities or year on year changes.
Sfr 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015
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Pathfinder local authorities
In order to test the provisions set out in the then Children and Families Bill, the Department for Education funded 20 pathfinders covering 31 local authority areas and associated clinical commissioning groups. Pathfinder local authorities issued non-statutory EHC plans before 1 September 2014. The 2015 SEN2 return only collects information on statutory EHC plans, meaning non-statutory plans that have not yet been transferred are not counted in the figures.
The Quality and Uses document published alongside this Sfr contains more information on the quality of the data.
3. Statements of SEN and EHC plans in place on 15 January 2015 (Table 1 and Table 3 in the accompanying spreadsheet)
4,205 EHC plans and 235,980 statements in place at 15 January 2015
There were 4,205 statutory EHC plans and 235,980 statements maintained by local authorities at 15 January 2015. EHC plans make up 1.7% of the combined total number of statements and EHC plans. This combined total is broadly consistent with the increasing trend from previous years. However, EHC plans cover 0 to 25-year-olds, although numbers are low for 20 to 25-year-olds.
Figure A: The total number of statements and EHC plans is broadly consistent with the trend from previous years EHC plans and statements in place at January.
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300,000
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Statements EHC plans
Sfr 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015
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The distribution of EHC plans across age bands is skewed towards the younger age groups
The age group distribution of the combined total of statements and EHC plans is broadly similar to previous years. However, there is a notable difference between EHC plans and statements in place on 15 January 2015 with 16.1% of EHC plans in the under 5 years of age band compared to 4.5% for statements, and 44.8% EHC plans in the 5 to 10-year-old age group compared to 37.8% for statements. This could be partly explained by the relatively small number of EHC plans compared to statements.
Figure B: The distribution of EHC plans across age bands is skewed towards the younger age groups Percentage of EHC plans and statements in place on 15 January 2015 by age groups.
% EHC plans
(4,205)
% Statements
(235,980) Under 5 years of age 16.1% 4.5% Aged 5-10 44.8% 37.8% Aged 11-15 31.6% 47.0% Aged 16-19 7.3% 10.7% Aged 20-25 0.2% n/a Total 100% 100%
4. New Statements of SEN and EHC plans issued during 2014 (Table 2 and Table 4 in the accompanying spreadsheet)
1,360 new EHC plans and 25,780 new statements issued in 2014 – lower than previous years possibly due to the use of non- statutory EHC plans in pathfinder local authorities
There were 1,360 new EHC plans and 25,780 new statements issued during 2014, although new EHC plans will only have been issued from 1 September 2014. New EHC plans make up 5.0% of the combined total number of new statements and new EHC plans issued during 2014.
The combined total of 27,140 is down on previous years. This could be explained by pathfinder local authorities issuing non-statutory EHC plans throughout the year which are not counted in the 2015 data return.
Sfr 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015
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Figure C: The combined total of new statements and new EHC plans is lower than in previous years New EHC plans and new statements issued during the calendar year.
5. Statements of SEN and EHC plans issued within the time limits (Tables 8 and 9 in the accompanying spreadsheet)
The proportion of new statements issued in 2014 within the time limit was 89%
Of the new statements issued in 2014 (excluding cases where exceptions apply), 89.0% were issued within the 26 week time limit, compared to 89.7% in 2013.
Including exception cases; 79.1% of new statements were issued within the 26 week time limit, compared to 81.8% in 2013.
Early indications show 64.3% of new EHC plans issued from September to December 2014 were within the 20 week time limit
Of the new EHC plans issued in 2014, 64.3% were within the 20 week time limit when excluding exception cases.
Including exception cases; 61.5% were issued within the 20 week time limit.
However, these figures cover EHC plans issued in the first four months of the transitional period where local authorities are beginning to implement the new reforms with a shorter time limit.
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2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Statements EHC plans
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6. Progress transferring to the new system (Table 10 in the accompanying spreadsheet)
From 1 September 2014 to 15 January 2015 there were 2,735 EHC plans issued following transfers from statements and 30 EHC plans issued following transfers from LDAs.
Timescales for the transfer of statements and LDAs to EHC plans are set out in Transition to the new 0 to 25 special educational needs and disability system: Departmental advice for local authorities and their partners (March 2015). Local authorities have then published their own timescales in the light of this guidance.
7. EHC plan personal budgets and mediations
There were 1,360 new EHC plans issued in 2014 and 2,765 EHC plans transferred from statements or LDAs between 1 September 2014 and 15 January 2015. Of the EHC plans issued in 2014, 165 had taken up personal budgets.
Of the 75 cases that went onto mediation in 2014, around three quarters did not proceed to tribunal.
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8. List of tables
The following tables are available in excel format on the publication website: Special Educational Needs Statistics.
Numbers of statements and Education, Health and
Care plans 1 Placement of children and young people for whom local authorities maintain a statement of special educational needs (SEN), or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, England, January: 2010 - 2015
2 Assessment and placement of children and young people with a new statement of special educational needs (SEN), or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and children with statements transferred or discontinued, England, Calendar Year: 2009- 2014
3 Number of children and young people with a statement of special educational needs (SEN), or EHC plan maintained by each local authority, by region and local authority area in England, January: 2010 - 2015
4 Number of children and young people with a new statement of special educational needs (SEN), or EHC plan by each local authority, by region and local authority area in England, calendar years: 2009 - 2014
Placement of children and young people 5 Placement of children and young people for whom local authorities maintain a statement of special educational needs (SEN), or EHC plan by each local authority, by region and local authority area in England, January: 2015
6 Assessment and placement of children and young people with a new statement of special educational needs (SEN), or EHC plan by each local authority, by Region and local authority area in England, calendar year: 2014
7 Maintained mainstream schools: children and young people for whom statements of special educational needs (SEN), or EHC plans were newly made by each local authority, by region and local authority area in England, calendar years: 2009-2014
Statements and EHC plans issued within timescales 8 New statements of special educational needs (SEN) issued within 26 weeks by each local authority, by region and local authority area in England, calendar years: 2013 - 2014
9 New EHC plans issued within 20 weeks by each local authority, by region and local authority area in England, calendar year: 2014
Progress transferring cases to the new system 10 Progress transferring children and young people with statements of special educational needs (SEN) and learning difficulty assessments (LDAs) to the new system, by region and local authority area in England
Sfr 14/2015: Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England 2015, issued 21 May 2015
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